Philadelphia Phillies: Brown shines in win over Yankees

Philadelphia Phillies' Domonic Brown reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run off New York Yankees Zach Nuding during the seventh inning of a spring training exhibition baseball game, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Clearwater, Fla. Philadelphia won 4-3. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies don’t have many position players with the potential to break through the ceiling of expectations these days.

It’s hard to imagine Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins getting any better than they were in their primes, when they were competing for and at times winning MVP awards. Carlos Ruiz had a career year last season, and with the veteran catcher missing the first 25 games due to a suspension, it’s tough to see that surpassed.

Ben Revere is young, but there is only so much a speedy slap-hitter can do for a team.

Then there is Domonic Brown, a powder keg of potential whose fuse fizzled the last two years.

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There have been signs — early signs, but powerful signs all the same — that the 25-year-old corner outfielder might be ready for a breakout season.

The latest indicator came in the seventh inning of the Phillies’ 5-4 win over the Yankees at Bright House Field, their first Grapefruit League win of the spring. After falling behind in the count to hard-throwing right-hander Zach Nuding, Brown got a high fastball and...

“I just took a two-strike approach, got a pitch up and put a good swing on it,” Brown said.

Good enough to clear the batter’s eye in center field, a massive 450-plus-foot shot that came two days after he plastered a ball 400-plus feet in Lakeland against the Tigers.

It would be one thing if Brown merely caught a couple of fat pitches. But he has been stinging balls the entire first week of game action. His swing, which got long and loopy — and frankly, weaker — the past couple of seasons has become compact, powerful and classic. He also has been earning praise from coaches and teammates for his focus and demeanor.

“What you see is what he can do,” Charlie Manuel said. “And the more consistent he gets, of course...just hit the ball hard, it will go.

“It looks to me like he’s definitely slowed down at the plate. The way he has hit the ball here lately, that’s staying behind the ball. He kept his balance and hit the ball out front. He chopped that ball, it was up and he got to it. It jumped up.

“That ball went a long ways.”

It is the swing that earned him comparisons to Darryl Strawberry and Ken Griffey Jr. in the past. That potential wasn’t reached during his first two test runs in the majors. But there have been plenty of prospects who sputtered during their early attempts to translate their high-end minor-league status in the majors. Even Brown’s top competitor as the highest-rated minor-league outfielder two years ago — Mike Trout — batted .220 with lackluster numbers during a couple of call-ups in 2011.

Trout exploded in 2012. If Brown could come up with a breakout season of his own, it can be a season-changer. The potential is that great, and Manuel knows it.

“He’s that kind of guy. Yeah, he is, without a doubt,” Manuel said. “When you see him hit balls like that in the last three or four days ... he has swung the bat good. When I see him rip balls to right field, balls inside, it shows he’s strong. He’s got quick hands. He’s getting through the ball.”

Brown has relied on hitting coaches Steve Henderson and Wally Joyner to fine-tune some aspects of his swing. Henderson has been a trusted confidant in the organization prior to replacing Greg Gross last October. Joyner, hired as an assistant hitting coach, is a revelation for Brown.

Like Brown, Joyner was a left-handed hitter with a sweet swing. And when he saw Brown’s hands in the batting cages, he reminded him to line up his knuckles and trust his fingertips when he held the bat.

“Both of them have been great,” Brown said of the hitting coaches. “I’ve worked with Steve for a number of years, then Wally came in and the things he has said just connect. It seemed like God maybe sent an angel down toward me. He showed me a little something then, boom, it clicked.

“It took a little while. These things don’t happen overnight. That’s why I just stay and keep my confidence and just keep working hard to get better.”